Deep culture in Japan: Strengths and Weaknesses

Something I really resonate with here is Japan’s emphasis on social harmony. Everyone here is acutely aware of their impact on other people and goes out of their way to make sure that they are not bothering other people. You’ll notice this especially on the trains. You would expect the Tokyo trains to be exceptionally loud being how crowded and dense the population is in this city, but it’s quiet. You are not allowed to answer the phones on the trains and it is deeply discouraged to have loud conversations or conversations at all on the trains because it could disturb the person besides you. This is deeply rooted in the Japanese work life culture as well being that you’ll see plenty of people sleeping on the trains after just finishing up work. I think that there is really something to learn from this sense of innate awareness of your surroundings and the people around you. I know that the biggest reverse culture shock that I will have when returning to the US is going to be how loud it is. 

As for the most challenging aspect for me; Being exactly on time is a huge challenge for me. If you are a few minutes late in America you’re generally considered “on time”, but here in Japan even a few minutes late is considered deeply rude and disrespectful. With all the long commutes and seemingly comical train delays, it’s been a struggle for me to know how much time I need to give myself to be on time. Which, more often than not, means leaving 1-2 hours before my class even starts just so I can be on time. Which ties into another deep culture aspect of theirs, really early classes. I have to wake up at 6am for an hour-long commute just to be on time. Let alone coming to class at a time they approve of, which is generally 10-20 minutes early. Needless to say, it is something that I wasn’t necessarily taught, and I have seen that it is a skill I would like to work on more. 

Cross cultural situations

My program is unique because I’m not only communicating with Japanese individuals while studying abroad, I am also interacting with people from different parts of the States. It’s easy to believe that because America is a singular country that everyone has just about the same culture and experiences. I’ve known this as false and have confirmed that on this trip. Someone born and raised in Kentucky has a huge difference in culture and how they were raised from someone in Boston. 

When you’re dealing with any cultural exchange in general, I believe that flexibility and open mindedness are the most important keys to hold when opening the door to a cultural exchange. You need to be able to look beyond your perception of the world and see things from their perspective by listening intensively and engaging in genuine conversation with the other person, eager to learn more about their world; Their way of life. 

I am honestly to the bottom of my heart so grateful to have had this opportunity because of how much I have grown as a person. My self confidence has grown so much by being here. I learned that everyone was just as scared as I was when we first arrived in a new country having never seen the other classmates before. It taught me that we are all a little closer/similar than I thought, and that makes it easier for me to go up and talk with people and make those connections. I have made lots of good deep connections with people here and am excited for what’s next to come. 

Lilianna Todorowski